Remembering Patrick Demarchelier: the legendary portrait photographer of celebrities from Beyoncé to Princess Diana, and creator of magical fashion shoots for Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior
- Model Christie Brinkley called the late photographer ‘a creative genius’, and his quick, effortless ethos was loved by many in the industry, from Vogue to Dior
- His photos of Madonna, Janet Jackson and Princess Diana in the 80s and 90s were iconic, but his final years were marred by #MeToo accusations
One of the foremost fashion photographers and leading celebrity portraitists of the late 20th century Demarchelier – who died aged 78, at his holiday home on Saint Barthelemy in the Caribbean, on March 31 – also lent his unmistakable style to elegant fashion editorials across several generations of supermodels, including Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss and Karlie Kloss.
A self-taught photographer, Demarchelier experienced success early in his career and was already shooting for Vogue in his early thirties. In 1975, he moved from his native France to the United States, setting up a studio in New York. The photographer quickly became a favourite of America’s leading fashion glossies, not only due to the quality of his pictures, but also thanks an easy-going efficiency that would come to be Demarchelier’s trademark.
Known for working swiftly and doing whatever it took to get the shot, fashion editors appreciated Demarchelier for his straightforward, cost-effective set-ups and nimble approach. Eschewing elaborate staging, he generally photographed against a simple background and would happily swap a fastidiously lit studio for an unplanned exterior setting, if that’s what it took to achieve results.
“I loved working with Patrick,” 1980s supermodel Christie Brinkley commented on Twitter. “I just loved him. He was a creative genius but in a casual seemingly effortless way.”
